When Zack woke up the first thing he did was look at the digital clock on his bedside table.
"Twelve thirty-four? God I over slept." Zack said rubbing the back of his neck. Then it hit him that something, or someone, was missing.
"Cloud, Cloud?" Zack called. When he got no answer he started to worry. He ran out of his room and ran down the hall. When he was near the living room he could hear the TV on.
"Clou-" Zack started but was cut off when he tripped and landed face first onto the floor behind the couch.
"Zack, what did you trip on?" Cloud questioned from where he sat on the couch.
"I have no idea."
Cloud stood on the couch and looked at the heap lying on the floor holding its nose.
"There's nothing back here for you to trip on." Cloud said with a frown. "You're so clumsy."
"Why didn't you say anything?" Zack yelled jumping to his feet.
"What're you talking about?"
"I flipped out in the other room calling for you! Why didn't you say anything?"
"I was just getting payback."
"…For what?"
"For waking up at nine in the morning because I couldn't breathe due to a hundred and something pound thing laying on me!"
"You got payback on me for something I didn't know I did?"
"No not really but I did wake up at nine because of you."
"Then that doesn't answer my question." Zack said snatching the remote from Cloud's little hand and turning off the TV.
"Hey I was watching that!"
"Well you can watch it after you tell me why you didn't answer."
"I didn't answer because I didn't want to."
"Really now," Zack said with disbelieve evident in his voice.
"Yeah it's like when I was still in the barracks. When you would call at three in the morning and I didn't answer. I was awake I just didn't answer."
"Or like the time you, well you know."
"No I don't."
"When you got that letter for the exam results…"
"When was that?"
Zack stared at Cloud in disbelief.
"You don't remember?"
"No,"
Zack stared at Cloud for a second then turned to head back towards his room.
"Hey is it a good thing or a bad thing that I can't remember?"
"I can't say for sure," Zack called from his room.
He quickly changed into a pair of baggy black jeans, a white under shirt, a red jacket with the SOLDIER logo on the right chest and his SOLDIER boots. Once he was fully dressed he brought out an outfit Kunsel had gotten Cloud.
"Hopefully this will fit you." Zack said, walking into the living room and sitting next to Cloud on the couch.
"Where are we going?" Cloud questioned.
"I wanna go see Aerith again." Zack replied, helping Cloud take off his shirt.
"Why," Cloud asked, his voice muffled by the new shirt being slipped over his head.
"I have to show her the materia that got us into this mess."
"Think she might know something about it?"
"Yeah,"
Zack looked Cloud up and down to admire his work. Cloud was wearing blue jeans, a black short sleeve shirt with a black and blue striped jacket over it and little black tennis shoes.
"Last but not least," Zack said, pulling a black beanie over Cloud's hair.
Zack smiled and carried Cloud into the bathroom and stood him up on the counter in front of the mirror.
"Aww you look so cute!" Zack said cuddling Cloud's head.
"Kunsel got all this?"
"Yup, is he a great shopper or what?"
"I like it." Cloud said with a small smile.
"Does it fit well?"
"Yeah,"
"Alright, you gotta go to the bathroom?" Zack asked with his chin resting on Cloud's head.
"What," Cloud asked shocked.
"Well when we get to Aerith's church and you have to go pee you're screwed.
"No I don't I went before you woke up."
"Are you hungry?"
"Yeah I've been up since nine."
"Why didn't you say anything?"
"I guess I forgot."
"Hmm well we'll stop and get something on our way there."
Cloud nodded and turned around to face Zack. Zack picked him up and walked into his room to get his cell phone. Once Zack made sure everything was turned off and that he had both his phone and the materia, he headed out the door.
"Alright first things first, we need food."
Zack went to the closest fast food place he could think of and got four cheeseburgers and a large soda to share with Cloud.
"What do think Aerith will know?" Cloud asked after a few minutes of silence.
"If we're lucky, everything," Zack replied, taking a bite of his cheeseburger. "She'll know how to fix this and hopefully she can keep the materia somewhere safe."
They continued to eat their cheeseburgers in silence until Zack spoke up.
"You gonna eat that?" Zack asked pointing to the unopened cheeseburger sitting next to Cloud on the bench they sat on.
"No one was enough for me."
Zack chuckled and started eating his third cheeseburger.
Cloud stared at him in disbelief.
"How can you eat three cheeseburgers? Just thinking of that makes me sick."
"His stomach is a black void!" A voice behind them yelled.
"Hey Zack, who's the kid," Another voice called.
Cloud and Zack turned around to see who was yelling at them. Two of Zack's friends we're walking up to them.
"Hey Sebastian, Essai,"
"Dude who's the kid," Essai asked.
"Heh this is-"
"Dude you never told me you had a kid!" yelled Essai. Zack frowned.
"I don't, this is-"
"Your little brother,"
"Essai shut up," Sebastian said smacking him in the back of his head.
"This is Cloud,"
"Wait the same Cloud you've been training?"
"Yes,"
"The same Cloud you asked to move in with you?"
"Yup,"
"The same Cloud you look after?"
"Ah herr,"
"The same Cloud you talk about all the time?"
"Yeah,"
"The same Cloud you have a-"
"Essai shut up before I hit you harder!" Sebastian yelled, hitting Essai in the back of the head again.
"There is no way that kid is in Shin-Ra!" Essai yelled, giving Sebastian an evil look.
"He is it's just that this materia turned him into a baby and he's slowly growing up again and this is where he's at now." Zack explained.
"Bull crap,"
"You mean the youth materia is real?" Sebastian asked.
"Yeah, have you read about it?" Zack asked.
"Yes but I didn't think it was real."
"Neither did we,"
"Dude this kid is giving me a weird look." Essai said out of the blue. He was staring at Cloud intently.
"I would too if I had to look at your weird ass." said Sebastian.
"Hey just cause I'm hot doesn't mean you can be mean."
"You're where a black tank top that hangs too low for a man to wear, a yellow band on your right bicep, piercings on your lip, tongue and eyebrow, random ass straps on you pants, and a pink streak in your black hair." Sebastian listed off, looking to his right.
Essai got on his tiptoes to get close to Sebastian's face and made a suggestive smile.
"What,"
"You must really be paying attention to me to have listed that off without looking at me."
"Dude you wear the same thing everyday!" Zack pointed out.
"Yeah but I'm hot so it's ok!" Essai said, flexing.
"You are the weirdest man I've ever seen." Sebastian said turning his back on them.
"You're the weirdest man I've ever seen!" Essai yelled, pointing his finger at Sebastian.
"How is he the weirdest person you've ever seen?" Zack asked.
"Just look at him! When we're not in our SOLDIER outfits he has on that big brown jacket and those damned blue jeans!" Essai replied, using overdramatic hand signs.
"This is what normal people wear." Sebastian said, scratching the small amount of stubble on his chin.
"Well it's boring,"
"Hey we gotta go, see ya guys later." Zack said, picking up Cloud and their soda and heading towards Aerith's church.
When Zack made it to Aerith's church he was surprised to find her sitting on the stairs with a few kids around her.
"Hey Aerith," Zack called.
Aerith looked up and smiled and waved them over.
"What's going on?" Zack asked.
"Mother Aerith is telling us a story." A little boy explained.
"Mother Aerith?" Zack questioned.
"They say I'm like a mother." Aerith said smiling.
"Weird, so what story ya tellen 'em?"
"The day you fell through my roof." She giggled.
The kids laughed and Zack made a nervous smile.
"Yeah, sorry about that,"
Aerith finished her story to the kids and told them that she couldn't tell them another story that day.
"What is it," she asked Zack after she told the kids the bad news.
"Oh I was wondering if you could take a look at the youth materia."
Aerith nodded and walked inside the church with Zack fallowing behind. When they were at the front of the church Aerith sat down on the first pew. Zack sat Cloud in between him and Aerith and gave him the soda to hold.
"Here," Zack said, handing Aerith the materia.
"We already know it's a low level materia. What else do you want to know?"
"Maybe, if you could, find someway to cure Cloud?"
Cloud looked up at the sound of his name.
"I can try. I can't promise you anything though."
Cloud looked at Aerith then to Zack.
"What," he asked Zack.
"Hmm, oh don't worry Spiky." Zack reassured.
Cloud went back to drink the soda and playing with a rock he found on the pew.
"Alright, give me a few minutes and I'll see what I can come up with." Aerith turned so she was facing forward and closed her eyes so she could focus on the materia.
Zack stared at her for a moment then turned his attention to Cloud.
"Hey, how ya doen?" He asked in a quiet voice so as to not disturb Aerith.
Cloud looked up and smiled.
"Good,"
"Haven fun?" Zack asked, chuckling.
Cloud gave him a confused look.
"Your rock?" Zack
Cloud showed a look or realization and a looked at the rock in his hands.
"I just picked it up."
"We should keep it."
"Why,"
"We could keep him as a pet."
Cloud looked at him like he was crazy. Zack smiled then laughed as Cloud looked at the rock again.
"Zack please, if you want me to help you then you need to be quiet. I can't focus." Aerith said looking at him wearily.
"Oh right, sorry." Zack said smiling apologetically.
She smiled back and went back to the task at hand.
"Come on let's go outside and wait so we don't disturb her." Zack offered in a low voice.
"You mean so you don't disturb her." Cloud said giggling.
"You're lucky you're cute or else I'd do something to you."
"Yeah right, you always mess with me."
"Cause you're so cute!" Zack said picking up Cloud and cuddling him.
"Let go," Cloud quietly protested.
"Let's go,"
Zack walked outside with Cloud and sat on the stairs.
"Ah feels kinda nice ya know."
Cloud laid his head on Zack's chest and nodded.
"You tired?"
"Well I did get up at nine."
"Are you gonna hold that against me forever?"
"I'll try not to." Cloud yawned.
The two of them sat on the stairs for a while, Zack holding Cloud and gently rocking back and fourth, while Aerith remained inside concentrating.
When Aerith came outside to get Zack she found him laying on his back with Cloud asleep on his stomach.
Aerith didn't want to disturb them but she had tell Zack what she had figured out.
"Zack," Aerith said in a soft voice shaking Zack's shoulder.
"I didn't steal it…" Zack mumbled out.
"Steal what?"
"The thingy I… put the thingy in the thingy an I… what?"
"What are you talking about?" Aerith giggled.
"…I have no idea."
"Come inside, I have something to tell you."
Zack nodded and carefully got up, maneuvering Cloud as to not to wake him up in the process.
When the three of them made it back to the first pew in the church, Aerith sat down and watched Zack as sat down next to her holding his precious sleeping blonde.
"Oh um I just remembered something," Zack started. "This morning when I got up I started talking to Cloud and the time when he didn't pass his Shin-Ra exam came up. When he asked me what I was talking about I wondered if it was an effect of the materia."
"That's part of what I wanted to tell you. I couldn't find anything that would help tell us how to save him. I did however figure out that Cloud's memories are slowly disappearing."
"Why,"
"I think it's because he is being forced to grow up so fast. If the materia was stronger Cloud would grow up slower."
"So he doesn't have enough time for all of his memories to be remembered?"
"…yeah," Aerith said with a smile. "Amazing Zack, normally you wouldn't be able to figure something out like that."
"Well this is pretty serious." Zack said returning a small smile.
Aerith nodded and looked at Cloud who was still sleeping.
"If I can fix this, will his memories be returned?" Zack asked in a low voice, looking at the sleeping blonde.
"They should, and I know you can save him. If it's anyone it's you."
"Did you learn that from the materia?" Zack asked sarcastically.
Aerith giggled.
"No, I believe in you and so does Cloud. You have to stay strong and positive."
"I usually am aren't I?" Zack asked with a smile.
Aerith smiled back then looked at the little blonde who was slowly moving. They watched him for a few seconds only to realize he was just turning to cuddle up to Zack's chest. After a few minute of watching him Zack's phone started ringing, the loud noise echoing off the church walls.
Zack quickly reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone to silence the noise.
"Zack speaking,"
"I know you are going to hate me for this but I could really care less about how you feel about me." Sephiroth said from the other line.
"What is it?"
"I have to send you out on a mission."
"Sephiroth what the hell, you know what's going on right now I can't just go! "
"I'm sorry Zackary but we need more people to go out and right know you're the only person I can send out. Besides this isn't just some easy second class mission."
"Then send two second class people, that should make a level zero soldier and that would make it a thousand times easier to handle the problem!"
"I have no idea where you get your logic but it's wrong. We can't do that Zackary now just get back here and accept your mission."
"Whatever you say asshole," Zack yelled into the phone, causing Cloud to twitch against Zack's chest.
Zack looked down quickly with concern.
"Is everything okay?" Aerith questioned quietly while reaching over to softly rub Clouds back.
"Sephiroth wants to send me out on a mission." Zack said in sad voice.
"Does he know about Cloud?"
"Yeah, I mean he was the first person I went to when this whole thing happened! Besides he knows how worried I am about the whole thing."
"What are you going to do?"
"The only thing I can do Aer, Can you watch him for me till I get back? Please you're my only choice where I know Cloud will be safe."
"I understand," Aerith said. "Don't worry Zack I'll take care off him."
Zack gave a weak 'thank you' smile and carefully got up.
"Thank you Aerith, I'll leave him here with you and go get an outfit for him back from Shin-Ra."
Zack, regretfully, left Cloud with Aerith and headed towards Shin-Ra. It wasn't that he didn't trust her, he did, thing was he just didn't want to leave Cloud with anyone. In a way he could say that he didn't trust Aerith. It was hard for him to explain to even himself.
XxXxXxXxXxX Hit me up on Myspace! .com/cz_child xXxXxXxXxXxX
When Zack made it back to Shin-Ra he headed straight to his room and grabbed a Shin-Ra duffle bag and put a few things he thought Cloud would like. He put in three outfits for Cloud to wear just incase he was gone for longer than one day and a picture of the two of them when they had gone to a carnival together.
Zack looked at the picture for what seemed like an eternity. He smiled and placed it under neither the clothes so Aerith couldn't find it. He thought she might think he was a little weird for putting in a picture of himself and Cloud. Even if she didn't he didn't want her to know about it though.
He grabbed his own bag and packed it with his own this for his mission and headed out the door.
On his way down the hallway, he was stopped by a heavy weight jumping onto his back and nearly knocking him to then floor.
"What the hell?" Zack yelled in surprise.
"Geez Zacky, we're going to have to stop meeting like this! People are going to start getting ideas!" Essai said in Zack's ear, still hanging onto his back.
"People wouldn't get ideas if you wouldn't lung yourself at people." Sebastian said from behind.
"Please I'm so sexy people purposely spread rumors about me banging some other dude. They're just jealous!"
"What ever, get off of him." Sebastian said looking at Essai with a small frown.
"Fine," Essai complied. "Hey where's that kid?"
"I left him with a friend."
"Oh having a sleep over?" Essai said with an over excited face, clapping his hands together.
"No I have to go on a mission so this bag is for me," Zack referred to his own bag. "and this one is for Cloud."
"You're going on a mission while your roommate is a baby!?"
"I have to Sephiroth wont send anybody else out!"
"That's harsh man!"
"Essai let's go, you have to train more." Sebastian said.
"What, no way I've trained enough!" Essai whined, flopping himself on the floor.
"You're hopeless." Sebastian said slinging Essai over his shoulder and heading down the hall.
"Hey wait I'm not done talking to Zacky!" Essai whined flailing around.
"Are you sure you're not gay?" Sebastian asked him.
"I don't know, bye Zack good luck with your fucked up life!" Essai yelled from down the hall.
"Uh yeah," Zack said with a half wave.
"I love you!" Essai yelled after Sebastian and he had rounded a corner.
"Essai shut the hell up!" Sebastian's rough voice could barely be heard in the distance.
"Makes you wonder how they got to be friends."
"Holy shit on sandwich with shingle pieces on top of a dick!" Zack yelled spinning around at the sudden voice.
"What the hell does that mean?" Kunsel said between laughs.
"Sorry you caught me off guard." Zack said rubbing the back of his neck.
Once Kunsel had recomposed himself he looked at Zack with a questioning look.
"Where's Cloud?"
"Oh I left him with Aerith."
"That flower girl in the slums?"
"Yeah, Sephiroth is sending me on a mission even though he knows how worried I am!"
"He had to Zack, all the other First Class SOLDIERs have been sent out on other missions."
"What if he sent multiple Second Classes?"
"The mission you're going on is too dangerous for Second Classes."
"You know what mission I'm going on?"
"Please I'm Kunsel, I know everything Zack."
"You're right, that was a dumb question."
"You're being sent out on a mission to Gongaga, your hometown right?"
"Yeah, but why would they send me there?"
"Something about the reactor there,"
"What's wrong with it?"
"It's been doing too much work in a sense."
"Too much work? Doesn't Shin-Ra need as much power as they can get though?"
"That's what I thought but apparently It's sucking out too much. They don't know what to do with it."
"Weird,"
"Gongaga looks very different."
"What do ya mean?"
"It looks dead, I mean the closer you get the reactor the deader it looks."
"Great, I haven't seen home in so long and now I'm finally getting to see it and it's dead."
"I'm sure that once you figure out what's wrong with it Shin-Ra will fix it an deverything will go back to normal."
"I hope so,"
"Well I have to go, oh one more thing! They said there were some pretty bad monsters around; I guess the reactor has been mutating other things into them."
"Alright thanks,"
"Be careful!"
"I will,"
Zack continued on his way down to the slums to give Aerith the bag he had packed for Cloud.
When Zack got off the train t the slums his phone rang.
"Zack speaking,"
"Hey Zack its Aerith, just come over to my house instead of the church. I went ahead and brought Cloud home so he could sleep in comfy place."
"Alright I'll be there in a little bit."
Zack hung up and started towards Aerith's house. Hopefully her mom wouldn't be there, she despised him. Why he never really knew.
I think it was something about me working with Shin-Ra. Zack thought to himself.
Half way to Aerith's house Zack's phone rang again.
Hope it's not Aerith telling me to go to the church for some reason.
"Zack speaking," Zack answered.
"Where are you?" said Sephiroth's monotone voice.
"Not at Shin-Ra!" Zack yelled into the phone.
"Hurry your ass up," Sephiroth said in an obviously pissed voice.
"Piss off!" Zack yelled again closing his phone.
He continued on his walk and made it to Aerith's house without anymore interrupting phone calls.
When he made it the house he knocked on the door and waited.
Aerith answered it and let him in. Zack took a quick glance around.
"Is your mom here?" He asked in a low voice.
Aerith giggled.
"No she's not."
"Good, she'd probably give me hell about being here."
"Cloud is upstairs in the guest room asleep."
Zack nodded and went up the stairs. Aerith stayed behind and began working on dinner.
Zack quietly opened the door to the spare room and found a little blonde head poking out from under the covers. Zack sat down both duffel bags and quietly walked over and sat on the edge of the bed.
He gently pushed aside a stray piece of blonde hair from the sleeping face.
"I'm sorry," he whispered. "Sephiroth is sending me out on a mission. I really don't want to go but I have no choice this time."
Cloud whimpered a little and leaned into Zack's touch.
"I don't know how long I'll be gone. Hopefully no longer than just a day, then I can come back and take care of you.
"I packed a few outfits in a bag over in the corner. At the bottom there's a picture I think you might like." He ended with a sad smile.
He leaned forward and kissed the top of Cloud's head and went to get his own bag and left the room, closing the door quietly.
After taking care of his business at the house he left and headed back towards Shin-Ra to leave on his god forsaken mission that was so important it had to separate him and his precious treasure.
Sure it was his home but really the mission didn't sound that bad. He seriously thought a few Second Class SOLDIERs could have taken care of it.
The whole way back only one thing ran through the SOLDIER's head, Cloud.
When Zack made it back to Shin-Ra he went to Sephiroth's office and kicked open the door without any regard as to how it might upset the man. After all he was still pissed.
He stomped in with his head down.
"That was unnecessary Zackary. Go to helicopter pad number-"
"I hate you!" Zack yelled, effectively cutting off Sephiroth's sentence all the while keeping his head down.
"Be that as it may it doesn't change anything."
Zack stomped over to Sephiroth's desk and slammed his hands down, looking up at Sephiroth with angry tears falling down his face.
"How could you?!"
"Don't you care this is your hometown?"
"So what, at this point I could care less!"
"Go to helicopter pad number three."
"I can't believe you." Zack said, straightening and heading towards the door.
"Hate me as much as you want. It will never change you're duties."
"Why the hell don't you go!?" and with that Zack stomped out the room and slamed the door closed behind him.
As Zack made his way towards the helicopter pad he was questioned by many people what was wrong.
When Zack made it into the elevator he freely let his tears fall, no holding back this time. The episode in Sephiroth's office was nothing compared to what he was doing now.
The elevator stopped and its doors opened to reviled Kunsel.
"Zack?" he questioned.
Zack turned his head from the familiar voice and said nothing.
"Hey what happened?"
"I never thought I could hate Sephiroth this much." He chocked out.
"Hey it'll be alright." Kunsel reassured placing a hand on Zack's shoulder.
Zack wiped his eyes and looked at Kunsel.
"Try not to worry so much, Aerith is watching him. I know this is a big problem and everything but it'll be okay."
Zack nodded and gave a small smile in thanks.
"See that's bet-!"
Kunsel was cut off by Zack hugging him tightly.
"Thank you Kunsel."
"Sure," he replied, returning the hug.
When Zack had to get off for the helicopter pad he thanked Kunsel one more time.
The entire ride to Gongaga one thing still played in Zack's mind, Cloud.
Author's Note:
Okay once again Sorry for the late post. I'd hate me if I were you to. On the cool side I went over my goal on pages to type. I typed eighteen! It's normally only fifteen.
So like I had a fast start to this the first day I worked on it. I had done seven pages! I was proud! The next day though I just kinda died in effort Sorry.
I just love Essai don't you? He and Sebastian are actually in Crisis Core too. It's one of the D.M.W. cut scenes for Tseng's airplane thing.
Essai was originally going t be like completely screwed up when it can to describe him. Like he was going to be a complete gay! I changed him a lot though.
I don't really know if Aerith's mom really didn't like Zack or what. I asked it on .com and I got an answer but the chick who answered it was like a bitch about it.
Ah well I just love the way I made Kunsel out to be. He's so nice
Like I said add me on MySpace please! I can update you on the fic and give you some pretty useful game information!
I'll try and update soon!